Latest news with #Gifu
Condé Nast Traveler
4 days ago
- Health
- Condé Nast Traveler
Soaking in a Slower Pace of Life at Gero Onsen
This is part of Uncovering Japan, a collection of stories that spotlight the lesser known gems that belong on your Japan itinerary, offering everything from a wellspring of local craft and a vibrant street-food culture to traditional wellness. Read more here. From the perennially roiling waves of Kanagawa's seas to Mount Fuji's snow-capped seat in the sky, some of Japan's most iconic natural sights claim their status through their striking appearances. But peer past those wonders, since immortalized odes and ukiyo-e woodblock prints, to find Gero, a quiet onsen town in Gifu prefecture with the placid, pastoral charm of a Studio Ghibli movie. Though the town may not seem like much upon first look, it's part of a celebrated trinity of hot springs dating back to the 17th-century Edo period, when prominent poet Hayashi Razan first dubbed Kusatsu, Arima, and Gero's hot springs the best in the country. Ever since, generations of locals have sought to experience the legendary waters for themselves. Tokyo-based chef, sommelier, and writer Yukari Sakamoto has been making the four-and-a-half hour journey to Gero every year since the '80s. Below, she shares why she comes back time after time to soak in the waters, plus her favorite things to do in Gero, and how she makes the most of her time at the onsen town. Gero Onsen's mountain-nestled main town lights up at night. The town's 13 locally maintained public baths source their water from volcanic origin, particularly from Mount Kusatsu-Shirane. Gifu Prefecture Tourism Federation Gero, the Goldilocks onsen Kusatu, Arima, and Gero all possess distinctive charms that make for three unique onsen experiences. Kusatsu sits in a remote region of Gunma prefecture, a little over 100 miles north of Tokyo. 'It's like, once you're there, you're there, you're in the middle of the wilderness,' says Sakamoto. The town's 13 locally maintained public baths source their water from volcanic origin, particularly from Mount Kusatsu-Shirane. As a result, the springs range from cloudy to clear depending on their acidity and mineral composition, properties which were championed by 19th-century physician to the imperial family Erwin Bälz for their seeming health benefits, ushering in a new wave of popularity for the onsen during the 1800s. Located about an hour's drive to the southeast of Kusatsu, Arima has a far less demanding transit. The onsen is known for its famous duo of golden (kinsen—named after the sienna hue of the iron-rich water) and silver (ginsen—which is actually colorless) waters and being one of the oldest known onsens in the country with a history tracing back at least 1,300 years. 'The onsen is nice, but it's in quite an urban area, so the surroundings aren't quite as bucolic,' says Sakamoto. For an onsen that is conveniently located and immersed in natural scenery, Sakamoto finds that Gero strikes the just-right balance. 'What I love about Gero is that you're in the Japanese Alps,' she says. 'You're located inside a valley with mountains on both sides and a river running between them.' From Tokyo, Gero is just two trains away, with the passage after Nagoya being Sakamoto's particular favorite as rolling hills gradually transition into the mountainside and the river runs parallel. Gero Onsen's public foot bath, right next to the city's main bridge, sees locals stopping daily to soak their feet in the healing waters. Gero's waters leave an inimitable impression. 'We say in Japanese, tsuru tsuru,' Sakamoto says, 'You sit in the water, and after two or three minutes, you start rubbing your skin, and you feel silky. Even after you've gotten out of the onsen and you're dried up, you still feel that silkiness.' The characteristic custard-smooth feeling the water leaves visitors with is owed to its high alkalinity. Sitting around 9.2 on the pH scale, the water takes on a gently exfoliative, soap-like property. Gero's waters leave an inimitable impression. 'We say in Japanese, tsuru tsuru. You sit in the water, and after two or three minutes, you start rubbing your skin, and you feel silky. Even after you've gotten out of the onsen and you're dried up, you still feel [it].' Tokyo-based chef, sommelier, and writer Yukari Sakamoto The joys of taking things slow in Gero The onsen is a nearly year-round destination, though Sakamoto cautions against visiting in the summertime as it gets a bit too hot to fully immerse in a warm onsen experience. 'Once you get to the city, there are many baths where you can take your shoes off, soak your feet,' Sakamoto says, "and there are always the onsens, the hot springs at the ryokan or the hotel that you're staying at, but there's also a public foot bath that's on the river.' Sitting right next to the city's main bridge, she says its part of the area's everyday life to see somebody stop to soak their feet in the waters.
NHK
6 days ago
- Lifestyle
- NHK
Rice-planting festival held at Shirakawa-go UNESCO World Heritage site
The UNESCO World Heritage site of Shirakawa-go in central Japan has held a rice-planting festival against the backdrop of traditional houses with steep thatched roofs. The 40th annual event was organized by the tourist association of Shirakawa Village in Gifu Prefecture. On Thursday, about 20 women wearing traditional clothes stood in line in a rice paddy and planted rice seedlings, as elderly villagers sang a traditional tune. A visitor from the United States said it was a good experience to learn about different traditions. A woman who took part for the first time said she is thinking about moving to the village. She added that planting rice is difficult but it is also fun, and she is looking forward to joining in again. The head of the organizing committee said he is happy to learn that the first-timers enjoyed the experience. He said he hopes the event will be held for many more years to come.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
PROVISION Study Which Met Its Primary Endpoint Now Demonstrates Similar Clinical Outcomes for FFRangio and FFR
PROVISION Study, Prospective Randomized Trial Evaluating Clinical Outcomes of FFRangio Versus FFR Guidance, Demonstrates Similar MACE Rates at One Year PARIS, May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the annual EuroPCR conference taking place in Paris, France, Dr. Toru Tanigaki of Gifu Heart Center in Gifu, Japan presented the one-year results of the physician-initiated PROVISION1 Study. At TCT 2024, investigators shared that the PROVISION Study met its non-inferiority primary endpoint and revealed economic and resource utilization advantages for the FFRangio technology over traditional invasive FFR. The PROVISION Study is the first Japanese prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the outcomes of an angio-based technology compared to invasive wire-based physiology and enrolled 401 patients across 13 centers in Japan. Patients with intermediate coronary lesions (30-90% diameter stenosis) were randomized 1:1 to either the wire-based FFR arm, in which the treatment decision was determined based on FFR values obtained using an invasive pressure wire, or the FFRangio arm, in which the treatment decision was based on FFRangio values. Based on the functional evaluations, either revascularization (PCI) and optimal medical management (OMT) or OMT alone were selected, and patients were followed clinically for at least one year. During a Hotline / Late-Breaking Trials session at EuroPCR 2025, Dr. Tanigaki presented the rates of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at one year for patients treated according to FFRangio guidance versus FFR guidance. MACE was defined as a composite of death from any cause, nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) or unplanned revascularization. MACE at one year was 9.9% for the FFRangio arm versus 12.6% for the FFR arm [HR 0.80 (0.42 to 1.51), p = 0.489]. MACE excluding periprocedural MI was 3.5% for the FFRangio arm versus 6.0% for the FFR arm [HR 0.58 (0.13 to 1.42), p = 0.167]. The rates of all-cause death, myocardial infarction and target vessel revascularization at one year were all similar in the FFRangio arm and FFR arm. "The CathWorks FFRangio® System has already demonstrated the highest diagnostic accuracy compared to wire-based FFR among non-hyperemic indices and angio-based technologies. The FFRangio System not only eliminates the drawbacks of invasive wire-based technologies that have limited the overall adoption of physiology but also provides tools that optimize clinical decision making. With the addition of this new body of clinical evidence demonstrating patients treated according to FFRangio guidance have similar outcomes to those treated based on invasive FFR guidance while potentially reducing procedural resources and costs, we are truly embarking on a new era in physiology, transforming FFRangio into the new standard of care," said Ramin Mousavi, CathWorks President & CEO. ABOUT CATHWORKS CathWorks is the leader in digital health innovations that can improve the lives of patients globally. The CathWorks FFRangio® System combines artificial intelligence and advanced computational science, transforming how cardiovascular disease is diagnosed and treated. The FFRangio System obtains physiologic information from routine angiograms, eliminating the need for drug stimulation and invasive pressure wires. It provides physicians with quick and reliable intraprocedural FFRangio values for the entire coronary tree. For more information on CathWorks, visit and follow @CathWorks on LinkedIn. 1. Prospective Randomized trial of clinical Outcomes of angiography-based fractional flow reserve guidance Versus wIre-baSed fractIOnal flow reserve guidance (PROVISION) study is an investigation of the Utility of Coronary Angiography (FFRangio) in Comparison to Coronary Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) in the Determination of Treatment Planning and the Clinical Prognosis in Patients with Chronic Phase Coronary Artery Disease Investors:Mike Media:Sarita View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE CathWorks
